Robo-AO M-dwarf Multiplicity Survey: Catalog

We analyze observations from Robo-AO's field M dwarf survey taken on the 2.1 m Kitt Peak telescope and perform a multiplicity comparison with Gaia DR2. Through its laser-guided, automated system, the Robo-AO instrument has yielded the largest adaptive optics M dwarf multiplicity survey to date. After developing an interface to visually identify and locate stellar companions, we selected 11 low-significance Robo-AO detections for follow-up on the Keck II telescope using NIRC2. In the Robo-AO survey we find 553 candidate companions within 4'' around 534 stars out of 5566 unique targets, most of which are new discoveries. Using a position cross-match with DR2 on all targets, we assess the binary recoverability of Gaia DR2 and compare the properties of multiples resolved by both Robo-AO and Gaia. The catalog of nearby M dwarf systems and their basic properties presented here can assist other surveys which observe these stars, such as the NASA TESS mission

Robo-AO Kepler Asteroseismic Survey. I. Adaptive Optics Imaging of 99 Asteroseismic Kepler Dwarfs and Subgiants

We used the Robo-AO laser adaptive optics (AOs) system to image 99 main sequence and subgiant stars that have Kepler-detected asteroseismic signals. Robo-AO allows us to resolve blended secondary sources at separations as close as ~0.”15 that may contribute to the measured Kepler light curves and affect asteroseismic analysis and interpretation. We report eight new secondary sources within 4.”0 of these Kepler asteroseismic stars. We used Subaru and Keck AOs to measure differential infrared photometry for these candidate companion systems. Two of the secondary sources are likely foreground objects, while the remaining six are background sources; however, we cannot exclude the possibility that three of the objects may be physically associated. We measured a range of i'-band amplitude dilutions for the candidate companion systems from 0.43% to 15.4%. We find that the measured amplitude dilutions are insufficient to explain the previously identified excess scatter in the relationship between asteroseismic oscillation amplitude and the frequency of maximum power

Robo-AO M-dwarf Multiplicity Survey: Catalog

We analyze observations from Robo-AO's field M dwarf survey taken on the 2.1 m Kitt Peak telescope and perform a multiplicity comparison with Gaia DR2. Through its laser-guided, automated system, the Robo-AO instrument has yielded the largest adaptive optics M dwarf multiplicity survey to date. After developing an interface to visually identify and locate stellar companions, we selected 11 low-significance Robo-AO detections for follow-up on the Keck II telescope using NIRC2. In the Robo-AO survey we find 553 candidate companions within 4'' around 534 stars out of 5566 unique targets, most of which are new discoveries. Using a position cross-match with DR2 on all targets, we assess the binary recoverability of Gaia DR2 and compare the properties of multiples resolved by both Robo-AO and Gaia. The catalog of nearby M dwarf systems and their basic properties presented here can assist other surveys which observe these stars, such as the NASA TESS mission

The APO-K2 Catalog: II. Accurate Stellar Ages for Red Giant Branch Stars across the Milky Way

We present stellar age determinations for 4661 red giant branch stars in the APO-K2 catalog, derived using mass estimates from K2 asteroseismology from the K2 Galactic Archaeology Program and elemental abundances from the Apache Point Galactic Evolution Experiment survey. Our sample includes 17 of the 19 fields observed by K2, making it one of the most comprehensive catalogs of accurate stellar ages across the Galaxy in terms of the wide range of populations spanned by its stars, enabling rigorous tests of Galactic chemical evolution models. Taking into account the selection functions of the K2 sample, the data appear to support the age−chemistry morphology of stellar populations predicted by both inside-out and late-burst scenarios. We also investigate trends in age versus stellar chemistry and Galactic position, which are consistent with previous findings. Comparisons against APOKASC-3 asteroseismic ages show agreement to within ∼3%. We also discuss offsets between our ages and spectroscopic ages. Finally, we note that ignoring the effects of α-enhancement on stellar opacity (either directly or with the Salaris metallicity correction) results in an ∼10% offset in age estimates for the most α-enhanced stars, which is an important consideration for continued tests of Galactic models with this and other asteroseismic age samples

The APO-K2 Catalog. I. 7,673 Red Giants with Fundamental Stellar Parameters from APOGEE DR17 Spectroscopy and K2-GAP Asteroseismology

We present a catalog of fundamental stellar properties for 7,673 evolved stars, including stellar radii and masses, determined from the combination of spectroscopic observations from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE), part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS), and asteroseismology from K2. The resulting APO-K2 catalog provides spectroscopically derived temperatures and metallicities, asteroseismic global parameters, evolutionary states, and asteroseismically-derived masses and radii. Additionally, we include kinematic information from \textit{Gaia}. We investigate the multi-dimensional space of abundance, stellar mass, and velocity with an eye toward applications in Galactic archaeology. The APO-K2 sample has a large population of low metallicity stars ($\sim$288 at [M/H] $\leq$ $-$1), and their asteroseismic masses are larger than astrophysical estimates. We argue that this may reflect offsets in the adopted fundamental temperature scale for metal-poor stars rather than metallicity-dependent issues with interpreting asteroseismic data. We characterize the kinematic properties of the population as a function of $\alpha$-enhancement and position in the disk and identify those stars in the sample that are candidate components of the \textit{Gaia-Enceladus} merger. Importantly, we characterize the selection function for the APO-K2 sample as a function of metallicity, radius, mass, $\nu_{\mathrm{max}}$, color, and magnitude referencing Galactic simulations and target selection criteria to enable robust statistical inferences with the catalog.Comment: 28 Pages, 14 Figures, 1 Table. Full table and selection function data available at https://github.com/Jesstella/APO-K2. Submitted April 18th 2023 with AJ, awaiting revie

Resolving the Multiplicity of Exoplanet Host Stars in Gemini/NIRI Data

The majority of stars have one or more stellar companions. As exoplanets continue to be discovered, it is crucial to examine planetary systems to identify their stellar companions. By observing a change in proper motion, companions can be detected by the acceleration they induce on their host stars. We selected 701 stars from the Hipparcos-Gaia Catalog of Accelerations (HGCA) that have existing adaptive optics imaging data gathered with Gemini/NIRI. Of these, we examined 21 stars known to host planet candidates and reduced their archival NIRI data with Gemini's DRAGONS software. We assessed these systems for companions using the NIRI images as well as Renormalized Unit Weight Error values in Gaia and accelerations in the HGCA. We detected three known visible companions and found two more systems with no visible companions but astrometric measurements indicating likely unresolved companions.Comment: 4 pages, 1 tabl

A Universe of Sound: processing NASA data into sonifications to explore participant response

Peer reviewed: TrueAcknowledgements: The authors gratefully acknowledge their colleagues at the Center for Astrophysics, NASA and particularly NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, for their gracious dissemination help with the study. JS-S acknowledges the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation in the School of Engineering at Vanderbilt University, who fund the Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. SK acknowledges the Marshall Scholarship.IntroductionHistorically, astronomy has prioritized visuals to present information, with scientists and communicators overlooking the critical need to communicate astrophysics with blind or low-vision audiences and provide novel channels for sighted audiences to process scientific information.MethodsThis study sonified NASA data of three astronomical objects presented as aural visualizations, then surveyed blind or low-vision and sighted individuals to elicit feedback on the experience of these pieces as it relates to enjoyment, education, and trust of the scientific data.ResultsData analyses from 3,184 sighted or blind or low-vision survey participants yielded significant self-reported learning gains and positive experiential responses.DiscussionResults showed that astrophysical data engaging multiple senses could establish additional avenues of trust, increase access, and promote awareness of accessibility in sighted and blind or low-vision communities.</jats:sec

Auditoria e balanço social: O potencial intrínseco do controle social na promoção do desenvolvimento

O presente artigo busca elucidar a importância do controle social na promoção do desenvolvimento, discorrendo acerca de ferramentas como auditoria e Balanço Social no mister de promover um controle social efetivo. Conceitos como transparência e confiança são utilizados no artigo sob o viés do desenvolvimento, buscando alternativas e instrumentos que alavanquem a boa governança. Com efeito, nota-se que o Balanço Social surge como ferramenta essencial na captação e análise de indicadores de sustentabilidade (dimensões econômicas, sociais e ambientais), sendo possível aperfeiçoar os processos de auditoria e controle social a partir dos demonstrativos produzidos através deste importante instrumento de accountability

The APO-K2 Catalog. I. ∼7500 Red Giants with Fundamental Stellar Parameters from APOGEE DR17 Spectroscopy and K2-GAP Asteroseismology

We present a catalog of fundamental stellar properties for similar to 7500 evolved stars, including stellar radii and masses, determined from the combination of spectroscopic observations from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment, part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV, and asteroseismology from K2. The resulting APO-K2 catalog provides spectroscopically derived temperatures and metallicities, asteroseismic global parameters, evolutionary states, and asteroseismically derived masses and radii. Additionally, we include kinematic information from Gaia. We investigate the multidimensional space of abundance, stellar mass, and velocity with an eye toward applications in Galactic archaeology. The APO-K2 sample has a large population of low-metallicity stars (similar to 288 with [M/H] &lt;= -1), and their asteroseismic masses are larger than astrophysical estimates. We argue that this may reflect offsets in the adopted fundamental temperature scale for metal-poor stars rather than metallicity-dependent issues with interpreting asteroseismic data. We characterize the kinematic properties of the population as a function of alpha enhancement and position in the disk and identify those stars in the sample that are candidate components of the Gaia-Enceladus merger. Importantly, we characterize the selection function for the APO-K2 sample as a function of metallicity, radius, mass, nu max , color, and magnitude referencing Galactic simulations and target selection criteria to enable robust statistical inferences with the catalog